Midnight
by Nicollette Knight
Summary: "If you ever need me. For anything. I'm only a phone call or a text away. I'll be there within twenty four hours." - Does Sherry need Jake? Just a bit of Jake and Sherry fluff! I own nothing!


_He held her close and kissed her, full of promise. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered: "If you ever need me. For anything. I'm only a phone call or a text away. I'll be there within twenty four hours."_

She didn't _need_ him. But Sherry missed Jake more than she wanted to admit. Her fingers hovered over the letters on her phone. All it would take to bring him to her would be a simple text. "I need you." But then she'd have to explain why. The thought terrified her.

It wasn't like she hadn't seen him. Over the last two and a half years, they had kept in contact. If either were in the same area of the world, they would try to get together, but it wasn't like they were officially a couple or anything. But over time it had been harder to leave, or to watch him go, each time they inevitably parted ways. Sherry had no idea if he felt the same way. She supposed that was the downside to the type of relationship they had. They were together, at least in her mind, but not really. They had never discussed it. So, she couldn't blame him if he was seeing another woman, or if he had relationships in every place his job had taken him to over the last couple years. For her part, Sherry didn't want anyone else. When asked, she told everyone she had a boyfriend. She wondered what her co-workers would think if they knew her "boyfriend" was none other than the tall, red-headed mercenary she was sent to protect and extract in Edonia. In the end, it didn't matter. She suspected they didn't believe her, because they never saw him, but she continued to use the excuse anyway.

Sherry sighed and shut her phone. She wandered over to the window, looking out over the city and listened to the silence that was so loud in her apartment. And finally, without thinking too hard about what she was doing, she opened the phone again, and typed the three hardest words she ever had said.

Xxx

Jake was sitting in a dive bar on the other side of the world, a beer sitting in front of him, barely touched. He had plenty of money these days. Mercenary work paid well, and since he was too late to save his mother, he didn't have much to spend it on. He didn't need to do this type of work, but it was all he knew. And so he continued, mostly on auto pilot.

It was the middle of the day and the bar was mostly empty. The waitress, tall and dark haired, was trying to flirt with him. She was hovering next to him, her breasts brushing his arm as she checked to see if he needed anything. Again. He was sure she was hoping for a walk on the dangerous side. He knew that was the vibe he gave off with his scarred face. He felt his phone in his pocket vibrate and pulled it out, completely ignoring the waitress, even though he could tell she was trying to read it without being obvious. He slid it open and looked at the text message.

To: Jake

From: Sherry

I need you.

He grinned, letting the waitress have her look before he slid the phone back into his pocket. He pulled out some money and tossed it on the bar. He pushed away from the bar, forcing the waitress to back up. She gave him a look, hurt or anger, he wasn't sure which, and he honestly didn't care. Instead, he just grinned. "Sorry, but you're just not my type." He shrugged and left the bar, already on his phone, making reservations to fly to America and finally, to Sherry.

Xxx

Sherry was fidgety. She found herself cleaning up her spotless apartment so her hands would have something to do. He hadn't returned her text, he hadn't called. She put herself out there and he hadn't even acknowledged her. She sighed and finished with the kitchen. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she finally dragged herself off to bed.

Twenty five hours after she had sent the text, Sherry had finally fallen asleep after having spent the entire day alternating between staring out the window for long periods of time, and compulsively cleaning her apartment. She had convinced herself that he wasn't coming and though she tried to tell herself it didn't matter, it had taken a long time to fall asleep.

Xxx

She hadn't been asleep long when she was woken by a semi-whispered curse. Her eyes flew open and she struggled to see who was in the dark. She reached toward the bedside table, and her gun that she kept there. She eased the drawer open and was about to pull the weapon out when a voice stopped her.

"You asked me here, and now you're going to shoot me? I'm a little disappointed, Super Girl."

She rolled over, finally seeing Jake clearly. He was standing on the other side of the bed, shirt off and had unbuttoned his jeans. "You're late," she said.

He offered her a small half smile before kicking his jeans off and climbing into the bed with her. He reached over and pulled her to him. "Sorry, babe. I did my best to get here within twenty four hours but the airlines had other ideas," he replied, placing a soft kiss to her temple.

Sherry rested one arm over his stomach and let her head rest on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart under her ear. "I thought you weren't coming. You never answered my text. I've never asked _anything_ of you. I have never expected anything from you. From this. From us. And the one time I did, you made me think you weren't coming." Her words were soft, but the hurt behind them was like a punch to the gut.

Jake tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm really sorry, Sherry. I'm no good at this stuff, you know that. But I should have at least let you know I got your message."

She nodded, accepting his apology. "Thank you for coming, Jake."

"Any time, Super Girl."

She was quiet for a bit before she shifted to look up at him. He looked down at her and met her gaze. "How'd you get in?"

He gave her that half smile she loved so much. "I _may_ have picked your lock."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Maybe I should just get you a key. Then you don't have to break into my apartment in the middle of the night." She was quiet again, the words a little more honest and real than she wanted them to be. She sighed. "What are we doing, Jake?"

He frowned a bit. "Well, I was pretty sure we were going to bed…"

Sherry sighed again and pushed herself up, crossing her legs and facing him. She watched as his expression became wary and he folded his hands behind his head to see where she was going with her train of thought. "For the last two and a half years we've been doing… whatever this is." She gestured between them. "And I love spending every moment with you. But, I guess… I don't know. Never mind." She switched her position so her knees were up and she hugged them, and laying her forehead on top.

Jake was somewhat surprised. He had always figured that Sherry didn't want more than what they were doing. He wasn't exactly long term boyfriend material. And he wasn't lying when he told her he was no good at this relationship type stuff, but that didn't mean he wasn't willing to try. For her. Didn't she know he'd do anything for her? "Hey." He reached out and laid his hand on her foot to draw her attention. When he had it, he continued, "I don't know exactly what this is either. And hell if it doesn't scare me to think of something more… permanent. But… I'd do anything for you, Sherry. Don't you realize that? I just don't understand what a beautiful, intelligent, strong, capable woman like you could possibly see in someone as fucked up as me. I'm a twenty three year old mercenary who has so much blood on my hands they'll never come clean, no matter how much I scrub them. And I won't even get started on my father."

And that was the crux of it, wasn't it? He'd spent the last couple of years fighting for the good guys, trying to atone for his previous mistakes. And if he was honest, trying to make up for his father's mistakes too. But at the end of the day, nothing could make up for what he (or his father) had done. So he took the time that Sherry was willing to give him, and he cherished it. It was what got him through the long, dark and lonely nights when they weren't together.

Sherry lifted a hand and wiped at the tears that were falling. "Jake, God. Stop it, you're a good man. We all have things we've done in our pasts that we regret. We both have fucked up families. But I know you, Jake, and you're an amazing person. You deserve love, and you don't have to make up for your past. Not with me. I lo-" she stopped.

He watched her, wondering if she meant to say what he was sure she was going to say. He held his breath, waiting to see if she'd continue.

Sherry looked him in his beautiful bright blue eyes. "You never have to justify yourself to me, Jake. You have nothing to be ashamed of with me because I accept you for who you are. Flaws and all. I love you, Jake Muller, and I wish you wouldn't have to leave me again." There, she'd put it out there, she said it. Come what may, she could at least say she'd tried. She hugged her legs tighter, watching him.

He let out the breath he'd been holding and reached out and took her hand, gently tugging on it until she came to lie down next to him. He faced her, brushing her hair from her eyes. "I'd do anything for you Sherry. You only have to ask. You want me to stay? Done. However long you want me, I'm yours. Forever." He leaned in and kissed her, a light, sweet kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, Super Girl."

The damn tears were falling again. She brushed them away and after she was sure she could see fairly well, she pushed herself up and got out of bed.

"Where you goin', Super Girl? We just had a moment!"

Sherry laughed. "We had a 'moment' Jake? Telling the person you've been in love with for the past two and a half years that you love them qualifies as a little more than a 'moment' I think. And also, I'm starving. Want something?"

He smiled. "You know I'd never say – wait… two and a half years?"

Sherry left him in bed pondering that while she went to the kitchen to find chips and salsa. She grinned to herself when she heard him behind her.

"Two and-"

"Yes, Jake. Ever since China, okay? Probably before that, but I realized it in China."

"You mean we could have been doing this for the last couple of years?"

She turned and cocked her head, chips in one hand and salsa jar in the other. "Doing what? And would you mind grabbing the water out of the fridge?"

He grabbed two bottles out of the fridge and followed her to the living room, where they settled on the sofa. She opened the snacks and dipped her chip in the salsa while she waited for him to finish his thought.

"We could have been doing this. Going to bed together every night, having a midnight snack when we're hungry. Waking up together." He opened his water and took a long drink.

She munched on a few more chips and shrugged. "I guess. I didn't know how you felt though. I turned down anyone who asked me out, and when they asked why, I told them I had a boyfriend. And I waited until the next time I could see you."

"I… I always thought you didn't want more than what we already had."

She set the chips aside and turned to face him. "You thought… I wanted you only as an occasional friend and booty call? Oh, Jake. I'm so sorry I ever gave you that impression. If I hadn't been such a chicken, I'd have asked you to stay years ago."

He gave her a smile. "Sherry Birkin, a chicken? Never. _You_ volunteered _me_ to stay and help fight that giant B.O.W. when we met in Edonia instead of taking Redfield's advice and taking cover. You faced down J'avo without flinching and held your own against Ustanak. You've put up with me for this long. You may be a lot of things, babe, but in all the time I've known you, you have never been a chicken."

She leaned in and kissed him. "I love you." She leaned back and studied him as he ate the chips and salsa. "You really would have wanted to just be all domestic-like with me for the last couple years?"

He shrugged. "I just want to be with you, I don't really care what we do. Fighting B.O.W.'s or having a midnight snack, it's all the same to me. Though I worry less about you when we're just eating."

"Says the guy who's been spending the last couple of years in warzones."

"Touché." He gave her a silly smile and went back to eating.

She rolled her eyes and leaned against his side. This time, it didn't take long at all for her to fall asleep.


End file.
